Nordstrom Rack Apologized for Calling the Police on Black Teens in St. Louis

Nordstrom Rack is under fire for a situation involving three black men who were falsely accused of theft by store employees, according to CBS St. Louis affiliate KMOV-TV. While shopping for prom clothes at the Nordstrom Rack location in Brentwood, Missouri, Mekhi Lee, Dirone Taylor, and Eric Rogers II said that they noticed several store employees watching and following them.

"I was nervous the whole time," Mekhi told KMOV-TV. "Every time we move, they move. When we looked up, they looked up." Local police got involved, although Eric said that "the police were actually good" and did their jobs appropriately. Dirone revealed that he felt "embarrassed [and] agitated" because he knew that he and his friends hadn't done anything wrong.

Besides dealing with the theft accusations, KMOV-TV reported the teens also faced harassment while shopping. They said that a customer had called them "punks" and asked if their parents were proud of them for "what [they] do."

Following the incident, KMOV-TV reported the St. Louis NAACP announced that it may consider getting involved and that it wants to work with Nordstrom Rack's President, Geevy Thomas, who apologized to the teens and their families in person on Tuesday.

In a statement to Teen Vogue, Nordstrom said it directs employees to only call the police in emergency situations, and that those guidelines weren't followed in this case. The company said it's "committed to creating a welcoming and respectful environment" for customers and employees, and that it's conducting "a thorough investigation."

"I feel fortunate to have met these young men and their families. I appreciate the opportunity to listen to their concerns and offer our sincere apologies on behalf of Nordstrom," Thomas said, according to the statement. "I also want to thank the young men for their poise in dealing with local law enforcement and the police themselves for handling the situation professionally."